Steve Roland Prefontaine (January 25, 1951 - May 30, 1975) (nicknamed Pre) was an American middle and long-distance runner. Prefontaine helped inspire the "running boom" in the 1970's along with contemporaries Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers. Born and raised in Coos Bay, Oregon, Prefontaine was primarily a long-distance runner who once held the American record in the five distance track events from the 2000 meters to the 10,000 meters. He is known for his extremely aggressive "front-running" racing style. Prefontaine died at the age of 24 in a car accident